Ernest Tino Trova (American, 1927-2009), , Falling Man

Ernest Tino Trova (American, 1927-2009)Falling ManCasein and pencil on muslin laid down on panel.54 x 43 1/2 x 3/4 in. (137.2 x 110.5 x 1.9cm)Unframed.PROVENANCE:Christie's, London, "Contemporary Art," July 3, 1979, lot 270.Collection of Dr. Henry and Mrs. Fannie Levine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.NOTE:On March 15, 1964, the anti-war comic opera Dynamite Tonight opened and was shuttered the following day due to devastating reviews. Arnold Weinstein wrote the libretto and William Bolcom the music, while Willa Kim designed the production, calling on her artist friends Ernest Trova, Tom Keogh, Marisol and Andy Warhol to create a "Special Art Curtain" as the production's stage curtain. Trova painted a variation on his single work-in-progress, Falling Man, as his section. After the show quickly closed and the set and scenery were dismantled, theater manager Ron Bruguiere recounts in his memoir that a knowledgeable person raided the remaining materials and carted off the four pieces of the curtain for their artistic value, much to the disappointment of the artists involved. The present work is Trova's preserved contribution, later mounted on panel for display, a testimony to the life-long project he engaged within various artistic contexts.